Dean Lyons acquired the detailed information in relation to the Grangegorman murders from gardaí who were interviewing him. He proved highly adept at acquiring information from the manner in which questions were formulated.
• The written record maintained by gardaí of the non-video recorded interviews was not comprehensive and this carried the risk of a miscarriage of justice.
• Dean Lyons was not abused or ill-treated in any way during his detention. There was no deliberate attempt to frame Dean Lyons.
• Misgivings by one Garda interviewer about the reliance that could be placed on Mr Lyons's admissions were not recognised and acted upon by the investigation team, including senior officers.
• Had the DPP's attention been drawn to the fact that there was a difference of view within the investigation team about the reliability of the admissions, no charges would have been brought.
• The decision (by gardaí in October 1997) to recommend the charges against Dean Lyons should proceed is extremely difficult to understand and even harder to justify.
